The discussion of his mastery over his animal soul has thus far centered on matters pertaining to man’s relationship with G‑d. It now moves to another area:
וכן בדברים שבין אדם לחבירו
So, too, in matters “between man and his fellow-man.”
The Beinoni will not grant expression in thought, speech or action to any evil feelings toward his fellow.
מיד שעולה לו מהלב למוח איזו טינא ושנאה, חס ושלום
As soon as there rises from his heart to his mind any animosity or hatred, G‑d forbid,
או איזו קנאה או כעס או קפידא ודומיהן
or jealousy, anger or a grudge, and their like,
אינו מקבלן כלל במוחו וברצונו
he will bar them from his mind and will, refusing even to think of them.
ואדרבה המוח שליט ומושל ברוח שבלבו לעשות ההפך ממש
On the contrary, his mind will prevail over and dominate the feelings of his heart, to do the exact opposite of that which the heart desires,
להתנהג עם חבירו במדת חסד
namely, to conduct himself toward his fellow with the quality of kindness (as opposed to the quality of “severity”, where hatred and anger originate),
וחיבה יתרה מודעת לו, לסבול ממנו עד קצה האחרון
and to display towards his fellow a disproportionate love, in suffering from him to the furthest extreme,
ולא לכעוס חס ושלום וגם שלא לשלם לו כפעלו, חס ושלום
without being provoked into anger, G‑d forbid, or to take revenge in kind, G‑d forbid, even without anger;
אלא אדרבה לגמול לחייבים טובות
but, on the contrary, to repay offenders with favors,
כמו שכתוב בזהר ללמוד מיוסף עם אחיו
as taught in the Zohar,10 that we should learn from the example of Joseph’s conduct with his brothers, when he repaid them for the suffering they brought upon him, with kindness and favors.
Thus, in his relations with his fellow-man as well, the Beinoni does not permit the evil in his heart to express itself in thought, word or deed.
It is thus understood from this chapter, that with regard to practice the divine soul is the Beinoni’s only master. He neither thinks, speaks nor does anything forbidden, but acts only in acordance with Torah and mitzvot. As regards his essence, however, i.e., his intellect and emotions, he has another master as well; his animal soul is still powerful, and it can and does arouse evil desires in his heart.
In connection with the statement made earlier in this chapter, that the time of prayer is propitious for spiritual elevation, an aphorism of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi J.I. Schneersohn, comes to mind:
When a Jew studies Torah he feels like a student before G‑d, his teacher, Whose wisdom he is studying. When he prays, he feels like a child before his father.
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Footnotes
1.Generally speaking, the blessings recited over the performance of a mitzvah are a Rabbinic contribution to the Biblical mitzvah. This contribution may be understood as follows.
Every mitzvah is a channel drawing down holiness upon the soul of the Jew performing it. In order that one be a fitting vessel for this sanctity, the Sages ordained that he recite a blessing before performing the mitzvah. The connection between the blessing and the mitzvah is always clear: The blessing actually mentions the particular commandment to be performed and thanks G‑d for sanctifying us by commanding us to perform it. For example, the blessing over the tefillin concludes with the words, “…and He commanded us to don the tefillin.” In the case of the blessings said before reciting the Shema, however, it is not clear what the blessings accomplish. They do not mention the mitzvah of reciting these passages, nor have they any apparent connection with their contents. Why were they ordained to be said at this particular juncture?
In ch. 49, the Alter Rebbe gives the following explanation.
The intention behind the reading of the Shema is that one should come to “love G‑d your L‑rd with all your heart, soul and might” (as the Alter Rebbe states in our text). To achieve this, one must prepare himself by contemplating those matters which evoke the love of G‑d.
To this end, the Sages instituted two blessings. The first describes aspects of the greatness of G‑d — how the loftiest angels are utterly nullified before Him, how He is far removed from them, and so forth. The second berachah speaks of His great love for the Jewish People, how He draws them close to Him, and so on. After meditating on the ideas expressed in these blessings one is indeed ready to fulfill the precept of Shema — to fill his heart with the love of G‑d.
2.Zohar III, p. 224a. The doctrine of the inherent supremacy of “intellect over emotion” is one of the basic, though not original, tenets of ChaBaD. Cf. Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim III, 8.
3.Kohelet 2:13.
4.Kohelet 4:13.
5.Sotah 3a.
6.Ch. 4.
7.Ch. 9.
8.Bava Batra 164b.
9.Ch. 9.
10.Zohar I, p. 201a.
